Happy 20th Anniversary, Fr. Mike Schmitz

In 2003, a young man who was close to being an actor was ordained a priest. His name is Michael Schmitz

Yes, the Fr. Mike Schmitz.

Fr. Mike has been a gift that keeps giving to many Catholics and those who continue to seek the truth.

For 20 years, Fr. Mike has built an impressive spiritual resume. If one were to look at it, some of the accomplishments are No. 1 podcasts (Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year respectively), weekly videos with Ascension, guest speaker for SEEK conferences and the 49th March for Life, fostering vocations in marriage, priesthood, and religious, and building a tight-knit community at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Those are just to name a few.

Fr. Mike even shared about his journey to his “yes” to God’s call to the priesthood.

There were two encounters that I’ve had with everyone’s favorite priest (Not sorry, Fr. James Martin) I will share.

My First Meeting- San Antonio, TX 2017

In 2017, I met Fr. Mike Schmitz while attending the SEEK Conference hosted by FOCUS. It was hours prior to the opening Mass and I was able to explore the venue. In the distance, I and fellow attendees spotted Fr. Mike.

A few seconds later I found myself encountering this energetic but humble priest as I pose with him for a picture. Since I shared my first meeting with him, it scored a lot of likes and curiosity about who he was.

Cardinal Foley Lecture, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary- 2020

The year is no exaggeration. Just two months prior to the draconian lockdowns of the scamdemic, Fr. Mike was the keynote speaker of my local seminary’s annual lecture.

The event was a near sellout. Following his lecture, everyone got in line to greet him and snap that photo on social media. As I got closer to Father Mike with my dear friend, he looked right at me and said, “Mickey”. The whole room went silent and even the seminarians were blown away at the fact a well-known priest knew me by name.

Fr. Mike is a gift for so many. There is no doubt that he continues to inspire others. My prayer for him and other priests is to continue giving their yes to their vocation, no matter what they are doing in their priestly ministry.

Let us pray for Fr. Mike and all priests. Let us also encourage men who have the qualities of a good priest to pursue the call and say “yes”.

Father Mike, thank you for saying "yes" to a heroic vocation. May God bless, protect, and guide you for years to come.